Youth Roots Assistant

This job posting was opened on 4/07/25. Please note that we will be prioritizing candidates who are current IRC (and recently employed by IRC) staff before other applicants. If necessary, we will extend the opportunity to external candidates.

IRC Background: IRC opened an office in Seattle in 1976 and provides a continuum of services including intensive case management, employment and economic empowerment services, immigration assistance, health and wellness programming, and education support to refugee and immigrant families in Washington State. IRC Washington is committed to providing trauma-informed, equitable, and accessible services and maintaining and evolving a diverse, inclusive, and supportive workplace.

Job Overview:

The IRC’s New Roots program has developed services and infrastructure aimed at engaging low-income families in urban agriculture, nutrition education, and healthy food access navigation. New Roots builds on the agricultural experience of many new refugee and immigrant families by providing access to land, materials, and education for program participants to grow healthy food. New Roots Program Services include Increasing Food Access, Fostering Income Generation, Improving Nutrition, Building Community, Developing Leadership and Skills.

The Youth Roots Program Assistant will have the opportunity to support Youth Roots summer programming and New Roots farming activities. Youth Roots is a program that engages and builds with high-school age youth who are passionate about food justice, land justice, and sustainability. Program activities include a paid summer internship, gardening, field trips, opportunities to contribute to local food systems projects, and other activities throughout the year while providing support to other farming activities. The Youth Roots Program Assistant will primarily be supporting with program planning and implementation. This is a great position for someone who has a youth and community centered approach and is passionate about food, land, farming and environmental justice.

Major Responsibilities:

Program Planning and Implementation

• Support Youth Roots activities include recruiting and working directly with youth participants and program transportation for youth participants.
• Coordinate with Youth Roots Specialist to deliver program activities and discussions rooted in and centered in food access, land access, youth leadership development, career building, and other relevant topics.
• Collaborate with Youth Roots Specialist to develop and implement program curriculum on topics such as: agriculture, nutrition, food justice, land justice, climate crisis, and other related topics.
• Support with communicating program information to participants and their families.
• Working with interpreters to convey information in participants’ languages.
• Assist farming activities as needed including irrigation, maintaining farm’s infrastructure, and workshops and training

Program Monitoring and Evaluation

• Facilitate Youth Roots program data collection and required reporting including program evaluation and collecting program input from youth participants.
• Input program activities and data into database.

Land Management & Infrastructure Maintenance

• Support site maintenance at main educational garden sites.
• Maintain program supply and tools inventory.
• Manage greenhouse, high tunnel or other infrastructure activities and in coordination with participants and Youth Roots Specialist.

Additional Responsibilities

• Participate in program meetings, and staff development activities.
• Comply with all policies, procedures, and protocols of the organization.
• Other responsibilities as needed and assigned by the Supervisor.
• Support with other aspects of New Roots projects, when applicable.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Youth Roots Specialist

Indirect Reporting: New Roots- Program Manager

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: New Roots Team Members and IRC Seattle Youth Team

External: Faculty and staff at Foster HS in Tukwila, property owners of main educational garden sites in Tukwila.

Job Requirements:

• Relevant degree or equivalent professional and/or lived experience
• Experience working with youth
• Experience facilitating activities in any of these areas: Nutrition, Agriculture, Food Access, Land Access, Environmental Justice, Sustainable Systems, Youth Leadership Development, and other topics.
• Commitment to respect cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and gender identity diversity as well as all DEI policy that IRC Seattle follows from its DEI Action Plan.
• Fluency in written and spoken English, with bilingual ability preferred, especially in priority languages such as: Spanish, Nepali, Arabic, Somali, Swahili and Burmese. Ability to communicate with limited-English speakers and demonstrated multicultural experience.
• Strong organizational skills including multi-tasking, prioritizing, planning, and effective time management.
• Valid driver’s license, active insurance policy, and access to reliable personal transportation.
• Ability to lift 50 lbs.

Working Environment:

• Standard, professional office environment (flexible remote and in-office) along with travel in and around the service delivery area.
• Most work will take place on site at the New Roots gardens and farm sites.
• Flexible to work Saturdays and some weekday evenings throughout market season, as needed.
• Safety
  • In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC may require candidates who are selected for interviews to comply with IRC health and other safety protocols.

Compensation: Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer: IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $143 per month, dental starting at $6.50 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.
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